Five Frugal Things | Pumpkin oats, 50 cent Frosties, and more
1. I'm using up pumpkin in my oatmeal.
I made a batch of pumpkin muffins on Monday and annoyingly enough, they did not use the whole can.
So, I've been stirring a few tablespoons of pumpkin into my oatmeal, along with spices like allspice and cloves.
2. We've been eating in, even on rehearsal week.
Zoe's got dance stuff going on five nights out of seven this week, but so far, we've been managing to eat at home every night. Yay!
3. We got a $0.50 Frosty.
This was inadvertently frugal!
Zoe was really wanting a Frosty from Wendy's after rehearsal last night, and I had no idea they were back to being $0.50.
Sooo, if you want a Frosty, now is the time. 😉
4. I got used tutorial books for Sonia.
She needs a geometry book and a literature book for next year, and I found both of them on the tutorial's Facebook group for used curriculum. Yay!
5. I used mint leaves from my plants.
My mint has come back and it's now old enough to be usable.
So when my recipe for Thai chicken salad called for mint, I did not have to put it on my grocery list.
Yay for spring.
Add your Five Frugal Things in the comments!
I'd love to hear what you've been up to.
Good going on using up the pumpkin. So many people would just toss the rest.
1. I order cruelty-free mineral makeup about twice a year from an online site that is less expensive than most, but I still waited until a sale to order and made sure I got the free shipping, too. I am using up the last dabs of my base but my order is on its way. I do have a small, travel-size base that I can use in a pinch.
2. I checked my email and found that a survey I did some time ago had awarded me with a $5 Amazon card. I popped it right into my Amazon account.
3. Another survey netted me $2 to my Paypal account, which I will transfer to my bank.
4. My husband is on anti-clot medication, which means he bleeds profusely from small wounds, as happened last night. I pulled out my trusty hydrogen-peroxide/Dawn mix and it took the blood right out of several items, including a nice (washable) chair cover.
5. When I bought my 2018 illustrated planner, I bought it in January of 2018, so I got it on sale. I looked for the same deal at the same store at the start of this year, but they'd sold out already. Then I noticed that 2019 was in the very back of my planner, as single line entries and minus the cute illustrations, but that works for my simple needs, so this planner is lasting me two years.
These days I'm a bit overwhelmed and distracted by some big things in life and the insomnia that comes with it, so I'm celebrating that I'm still doing the small things.
1. Continued to cook dinner (or at least scrounge), despite not wanting to. There's a lot of "produce of choice" on my table these days.
2. Make another soup/stew for lunch. This one was made from the amazingly tasty and decidedly not frugal Rancho Gordo beans (cooked in a pressure cooker using salsa "juice" from salsa I froze to keep from going bad and half a flat beer leftover from a different recipe), simmered chicken from the one I cooked for the dog when he was sick, and chicken stock from the bones of that same chicken. The beans were so good, and the stock so chickeny, that the soup needed only a few spices to taste great.
3. Made a dinner of Tex Mex Chicken Fingers, using chicken (bought on sale) breaded with the crumbs from tortilla chips, bound with the egg whites left from another recipe.
4. I prefer small rectangular pans for my bound breading ingredients (flour, egg/milk, crumbs) because they cause the least waste. One pan was grabbed from a co-worker who was going to throw it out. !!!
5. Inventoried the deep freezer.
6. Borrowed a friend's Instapot to see if I wanted to buy one. I don't.
7. Supper Club continues. I founded it to be sure to see these friends semi-regularly, to introduce interesting people to other interesting people, and to not go out to eat so often.
8. Took advantage of a Penzey's Spices sale, to get spice kits as gifts ($10 instead of $20), "Kind" pins as stocking stuffers (free with purchase), granulated smoked garlic (which I was running out of), 3-4 spices for free (for the size of my purchase), and free shipping.
9. Went to the local carnival and spent almost nothing. I packed my own food and remembered to use the artisan soda truck's mug, which - after the initial $15 purchase - allows free refills year after year.
I did buy one thing at the carnival. There's a vendor who paints kitchen-related pottery. I think her products are beautiful. Every year she manages to have something that, while I don't need, is useful, beautiful, and doesn't duplicate something I already own. Over the years I've bought a large perforated berry bowl with plate, a small perforated berry bowl with gratis plate (for being a good customer), and a butter tray in cheery lemons. Now I no longer have to put out the free, ugly, scarred, utilitarian white plastic butter tray when I have guests.
I love when Penzey spices are on sale - I *almost* have too many spices from there.
You mean normal people don't have a 2 gal bag full of Penzey's spices in their freezers? Who knew.
Should I be keeping my "extra" spices in the freezer? Or refrigerator? What about coffee? If you actually know a scientific or logical reason, I would like to know!
And I mean HERBS, too! Also, I was wondering if you could freeze your fresh mint for future recipes- because buying many herbs is expensive and usually wasteful for me. I know it won't be quite as good. I also know you can't freeze cilantro or basil!
Ok, here goes the scientific explanation of why to keep extra herbs & spices in the freezer. For the purposes of this conversation, treat coffee like a spice.
First, herbs vs spices. Herbs are the leaves of things and can be either fresh or preserved (usually dried). Spices are everything else, such as seeds (coriander), roots (ginger) (well, technically it's a rhizome), and bark (cinnamon).
Fresh herbs should be treated like flowers and lettuce: either put the stems in water and keep in the fridge, or wrap in damp paper towel and then put in an open plastic bag/wrapper. These methods will keep the leaves fresh for the longest. Note: this is assuming cut herbs; plants, of course, should be treated like live plants.
To preserve fresh herbs, there are two main options: freezing and drying. I won’t recap what’s been nicely explained a million times online.
Spices and dry herbs taste good because they retain their volatile essences (oils and whatever it is that makes them smell good). So to keep them lasting a long time, you want to keep them in conditions that preserve these volatiles for as long as possible. In short: in the cold, dry dark. Freezers fit this description perfectly. Convenient locations, you’ll notice, are pretty much the opposite. Right next to the stove is warm, light, and often humid.
Which is why I keep a small amount of herbs & spices in the counter-top spice rack, and the rest of my stash in the deep freezer. This is particularly important when I buy spices in bulk, because it ain’t frugal if the spices lose their savor.
Another note about retaining volatile essences. The closer to whole the herb/spice is, the longer it’ll retain its volatiles because it has less surface area (relative to volume) for the volatiles to escape from. So whole peppercorns will last a lot longer than finely ground pepper. This, btw, is a real-life example of the square-cube law.
One more note: despite what I just wrote, don't grind cinnamon powder from cinnamon sticks. One, it's really, really hard. Two, spice companies use the poor-quality bark for cinnamon sticks, saving the good stuff for powder. I think this is because customers use sticks only in drinks, for which the poor-quality bark is sufficient.
Go William! I'm with you on the overwhelmed by major issues thing - hang in there brother
You, too, sister! I find that forums such as this one help. FG attracts such supportive folk.
1.) Went to a flea market and had my budget and stuck with it. I could've spent a lot more but instead didn't as I didn't need any of the items that I wanted.
2.) Working some overtime on Friday and Monday so yay extra money.
3.) Continuing to make an effort to use up what I already have and not to go out.
4.) Planted some of my garden. In the next few days we'll be doing more of that. It doesn't save me a ton of money but it does provide cheap entertainment I guess.
5.) My printer died and I used the warranty claim so Brother is sending me a new one. I'm not happy about it but at least it's going to be replaced.
1. We've been also feasting on fresh herbs and greens from the garden. When we thin other plants such as beet greens, we also include these in salads instead of tossing them.
2. Went through my wardrobe to see what summer/spring clothes I have, and try to spend a few minutes ironing so that I keep more clothes in rotation rather than throwing on same old same old and then running to the store for new clothes.
3. Before running to CVS to buy some toiletries and OTC medicines, I spent just a few minutes leafing through my newspaper coupons and my email for CVS coupons. I ended up saving $28 in coupons alone before sales. The CVS is conveniently near my house, and I was happy I didn't have to make a separate trip anywhere.
4. I haven't been to the hairdresser for ages. I think it's time. When I try to grow out my hair I can't stand the way it feels on my neck, or how long it takes to dry.
5. Skipped driving to the office this week and saved money in gas and parking. Turned out to be a good thing as the office closed early due to some technical issues. Went to the gym instead of commuting. (In fact, I realize the money I save in office parking more than pays for my gym membership. I really need to gym as an outlet when I've spent all day working from home.)
1. My daughter's birthday is coming up this month, so I've been slowly accumulating the necessary groceries for her party when the different items have been on sale. (We are doing a hot potato bar for food)
2. I've been packing dinner leftovers into individual serving containers so they are easy to grab for lunches the next day. This has been helping our family stay on top of leftovers.
3. I resisted the urge to pick up McDonalds for breakfast today and stuck with coffee and food at home.
4. I signed up to be a Shipt shopper so that when I have random days off from school or a chunk of free time, I can hopefully make a bit of money doing something that I semi-enjoy.
5. Still working on getting competitive quotes from contractors for work around my home that I just don't have the knowledge/skill set to do effectively. I'm hoping that once these projects are completed, I can be better at maintaining those areas of the house.
I like to put pumpkin in my yogurt too.
1. Bought a $4.99 take and bake cheese pizza from Aldi on Friday and doctored it up with mushrooms, peppers and tomatoes that I had at home plus it's a huge pizza and I'm single so it's also been lunch all week. 6 meals for $4.99 that's pretty frugal.
2. Frugal but not so frugal-I read on a blog I follow that hobby lobby had marked down a lot of scrapbooking supplies and paper 80% off. I didn't really need them now but what I bought were items that are going to be used in the near future so I justified (let's face it, I really don't need anymore paper or supplies really) that it was a good deal because I will use them and I saved a lot of money over the retail price.
3. I'm in charge of mother's day dinner so I inventoried my freezer and I'm building my menu around that and the rest of what I need I will get at Aldi.
4. Putting together a box to send to thred-up using the free shipping and a recycled box. I love buying new clothes so using thred-up helps me feel a little better about buying new things.
5. My employer is switching us to a high deductible health insurance plan. I really hate dealing with this stuff but I'm actually doing some research and asking a lot of questions to help make the best choices for my money.
1. Bought old cabinet...wooden...with doors from Last Chanch Thrift. 29.00. Will pick it up this week. Found 4.95 worth of fancy Clarence House wall paper...vintage....to college the inside with...along with some old wallpaper with wysteria on it I got for .89 somewhere. 2. Planting more bulbs in my yard....lilies. and dividing plants like iris that I already have.
I do have a question about buying glasses online. Has anyone here ever ordered glasses from "eyebuydirect" I need new glasses and I wear bifocals and it's $700 for a pair at the doctor and I found a cute pair online for $135 but I'm a little nervous about ordering glasses on line.
I bought two pairs of glasses online (from ClearlyContacts in Vancouver, Canada) without any problems. I do remember having to measure the distance between my eyes, but other than that the information I needed was on the prescription. Usually the website has all sorts of helpful information and there's also a helpline if you need it.
So I'd say, go for it!
I felt the same way - glasses (especially bifocals) are so expensive even when we carry the extra vision insurance. Last year we didn't have the insurance and I needed new glasses so I took a chance and ordered online (from Zenni's because they had good reviews and 10-20% off first time orders). I used up the last $100 of our FSA and got THREE pairs of glasses (two for me and an additional bifocal reading glasses for my husband). I couldn't believe how much less expensive it was! I really love having a "spare" pair of glasses, the prescription was right on, it was a low-stakes way to try a new style, and I will definitely do it again. I will say that they feel a bit flimsier and I don't know if the lens quality is as good (resistant to scratches etc.), but we've been wearing them for half a year now and they're doing great. Was worth a try for us!
I also ordered bifocals from Zenni's (with a prescription from Wal-Mart) and the prescription was slightly off and blurry so I was unable to use them.
This may not apply, of course, but I have had TWO different optometrists mess up my prescription. One of them was Costco. So the blurriness might not be Zenni's fault.
I am also tentative about ordering online. I don't think I know anyone with a prescription stronger than mine, as well as the lenses are "progressive", (the new way of saying trifocals or bifocals).
Perhaps ordering the frames and having the live local person fit the lenses would save at least some money?
Haven't tried "eyebuydirect", but have had great success with Clearly.ca.
I would definitely recommend reading reviews about the quality of their products and their exchange and return policies.
I would be cautious with it. It's your eyes. The assistant at the eyeglass store sold me some expensive glasses; when I mentioned buying online he said that sometimes they're not ground correctly and he would do it (for free) if I brought in a pair.
Good job on eating at home! That's something we've really been working on. Even when we go out of town, I usually pack a lunch and we have a picnic at a park.
1. Cooking a big ol' pot of bulk pinto beans. Made croutons (bread was 2 loaves for $1!).
2. Using our homeowners insurance to buy materials for a new roof (hail damage) and going to do the work ourselves with help from friends.
3. Got another $3 Amazon giftcard coming my way from swagbucks and the book I ordered with My Reader Rewards came in for my daughter's bday.
4. Getting free exercise by walking and using a kettlebell we already own.
5. Sent my mom a card I already had for Mother's day.
1. My husband is on a month long business trip, and the five kids and I decided to join him. It's a frugal vacation since his work is paying for our airbnb.
2. We packed picnic food for the 25 hour, 3 day drive so that we just had to pick up fast food burgers to round out two dinners. We still ate our picnic sides with those dinners.
3. I shopped at Aldi for the first time to buy the majority of our groceries so I can still make simple homemade meals. My kids loved returning a random cart in the parking lot to earn a quarter. Your blog the reason I was so excited to finally try one out. 🙂
4. With new parks and libraries to explore, so far all of our entertainment has been free.
5. We couldn't pack many books, so I signed up for my free month long trial of Kindle unlimited and then instantly cancelled my subscription. Now we get a month of books free with no risk of forgetting to cancel and spending unnecessary money.
Bonus #6: our travel entertainment was audiobooks borrowed from our libraries digital collection and podcasts.
My kids love audiobooks from the library on long trips! So cheap and worth the peace in the van.
Oh Amanda, I read that as you travelled for 25 hours to buy takeaway burgers & I went "whaat?!' gee I must be tired...
1. Requested books at the library instead of buying.
2. Had a son cut up a sheet for making cloth napkins. (from thrift store)
3. Bought sandwich fixings from Sav-a-Lot instead of fast food.
4. Let son repair the lawn mower instead of finding a repair man. (He begged to be allowed to do it.)
5. Sewed a button on my husband's shirt.
1. I finally took a huge lot of books to the Half-Price bookstore. I admit I was having a crisis of conscience--it's easier to put them in the donation box than sell them back, did I really *need* that cash for books, on the other hand, I would like to buy another book in a series I'm collecting..finally I did end up taking them to the store and while waiting in the selling line started talking to the other customer there. She was selling a bunch of preschool books that her daughter had outgrown, and I mentioned that my seven-year old had just said he was "too big" for Curious George, and she offered to buy the books from me directly, because her daughter loves Curious George. I said, no, just take them!
Then she said the hospital book was perfect because her daughter had a little friend who just died of leukemia 🙁 and now her own daughter is afraid of doctors and hospitals because she's connected going to the hospital with dying no matter what. I said I hoped the book helped her, and to tell her that my son just went to the hospital with a tummy ache just like Curious George and is now home and doing fine.
So I got to sell some books AND donate them, which was awesome! And while at the store I found the exact books I wanted to get, and the cash back covered them all. This is also Teacher Appreciation Week at Half Price books, if you show proof that you're a teacher or homeschooler, you get a free tote bag!
2. We had a drippy faucet in our tub that of course was only dripping out hot water. It was getting so bad that we could collect a 2 gallon bucket of warm water nearly every few hours.
Of course we kept the bucket there and used the water for either flushing or for starting a bath! After a lot of experimentation, my husband figured out how to take apart the circa-1960s plumbing without breaking it, and replaced the washer, and it is all fixed!
3. Trying really hard to survey what I already have in the pantry and freezer. I managed to do a nice grocery run yesterday for $122--combined with what I have on hand, this will feed our family of six (which includes four hungry boys) for the week.
4. Using a free website to help me tackle losing weight--the No S Diet--and it's working really well. It's super simple, three meals a day, no snacks, sweets or seconds unless it's a day beginning with S (or a special holiday). This, believe it or not, is undoing a lot of damage I've done to my brain with childhood dieting (Thanks, Mom!), eating disorders and calorie counting. And you save on food because you're not snacking or taking seconds! 😀
5. Our onions, lettuce and radishes are coming up--the spring was so wet most of our garden is just mush, but at least we'll get some salad stuff!
1. This was my best frugal accomplishment of the week, at least to me. I needed to pick up some meds and Zyrtec at the pharmacy and if you are a Zyrtec user you know how expensive it is. I had a coupon for $6.25 off my Zyrtec alone. I was also able to use 2 cash rewards that totaled $7.00. I saved $13.25 off of the purchase. When I got my receipt it contained many more coupons that I will be able to use plus another $4.00 cash reward.
2. I have earned 2 free sodas with my Speedway points.
3. We have eaten at home for at least 2 weeks.
4. A colleague was selling some clothes her daughter had recently outgrown. My granddaughter has just started wearing that size, so I bought some of the clothes.
5. I teach art to special education students, so I had been trying to come up with an idea for Mother's Day. When I finally decided on necklaces for the students to make I started looking through my supplies at home before I put in an order for extra things. I found enough supplies in my own stash of art supplies that I did not need to purchase anything extra.
It's been a very frugal week.
My two eldest sons are going on their school field trip tomorrow to the nearest "big" city--which is 160 miles away. This means five hours on a bus and of course, there must be snacks for the bus ride. Unfortunately, I am out of every sort of snack food at the moment, even nuts, and not going near a store today.
I considered just packing them some pb&j and calling it a day, but I knew all the other kids would have fun snacks. So I made some no-bake peanut butter cookies. The recipe made so many, there will be enough for the entire school. Which is all of 11 kids. 🙂 I'll also make some popcorn for them.
Not that I can take too much credit for my frugality, because guaranteed if I had been near a store I would have just bought some granola bars and chips, but hey, there are benefits to living in the middle of nowhere. (Though driving that far to go to a museum and a trampoline park is definitely not one of them. Better them than me.)
I throw the pumpkin in the freezer. It’s great for pumpkin pancakes.
I love all the ideas on how to use up pumpkin. I stocked up (over-stocked) when canned pumpkin was on sale at Aldi and I am always wondering what to do with it, so thanks everyone!
1. Recycled old textiles through the school instead of putting them into the landfill. The school does this event every year and it helps to clean out stuff that is past its prime that I would otherwise hold on to.
2. Inventoried my wardrobe and shared a couple bags of clothes I no longer wear with family. I will have to look into Thread Up.
3. We've been eating from home and using up leftovers.
4. I've been stocking up a little at a time for my son's upcoming birthday party.
5. Spent $40 on a bike rack for the car; saves on a gym membership and creates the opportunity to not only get exercise, but also connect with my son. It was something I was hesitant to do because I worried I may not be able to get the bike back onto it after our ride. But it's user friendly and I am proud of myself for trying it out!
1. The other day I noticed a neighbor had put out a decorative tree with their trash and I rescued it, intending to at least donate it to keep it out of the landfill. I decided to try and sell it with some other items I posted on my FB garage sale site and made $10! My husband thinks I'm crazy, but hey, its free money. I also sold some Veggie Tale DVDs my kids have outgrown for another $10.
2. Batched errands and got my books on hold from the library.
3. Making teacher appreciation and Mother's Day cards from my scrapbook supplies.
4. Ordered some gift cards for teacher gifts using credit card rewards, so no money out of pocket. Between my 2 kids, they have 5 teachers (this is elementary, too!) and I want to give end-of-year gifts that are useful to the teachers.
5. I've been cancelled from work for the last couple weeks because it has been slow (such is the nature of PRN healthcare work), but my husband found out he got a raise from work, so that makes up for my small paychecks this month. 🙂
For that annoying part-can of pumpkin and other issues, I recommend an out-of-print book called "Half A Can of Tomato Paste and Other Culinary Dilemmas" by Jean Anderson and Ruth Buchan. It has a couple dozen chapters for a major food, such as tomato paste or leftover cheese. There's also a really good index for the recipes that, say, use a little cheese but isn't in the cheese chapter. The recipes are hit or miss; the ideas top-notch.
Ok, I ordered a used copy on Thrift Books...I'll let you know what I think!
After a few not very frugal weeks I am trying really hard to be careful in May.
1) I have managed to take a packed lunch to work so far this week and turned down eating out at a restaurant today.
2) Over the bank holiday I planned cheap outings for my family to the Botanical gardens (we have annual membership so entry is free) and to a local country park with lake and great kids play area. We just had to pay for parking.
3) “Shopped” in the loft for clothes for my daughter.. she loves her older brothers old T-shirts and shorts and is really pleased to have new summer clothes. The clothes she turned down I will donate to the local charity shop which has just opened around the corner.
4) We ate at a reasonably priced local India restaurant with a Bring your own Beer policy for our wedding anniversary. We had a lovely time for £30.
5) I mended my slippers again instead of opening the spare pair I bought in a sale 18 months ago. My husband thinks I am crazy to sow them up again but it seems very wasteful not to fix them when it’s such an easy job.
Not too frugal this week. After living and working in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for 24 years...we are relocating to METRO DETROIT. ( closer to young adult children and family in Indiana).
So we bought a house this week.
1. We saved and saved and saved over the last three years and are able to put 40 percent down.
2. We also saved enough to pay cash for all closing and title fees so they are not rolled into the mortgage.
3. We paid cash for a home inspection and saved 25 %.
4. We went with a realtor that gives public school employees a 25 % rebate on closing costs.
5. We ate taco soup from the slow cooker and it was not very good ( KETO) and made a ton for THREE EVENINGS. ARG.
I AM LOOKING FOR TIPS/SUGGESTIONS ON FRUGAL MOVING....WE WILL HAVE AN 10 + HOUR TRIP WITH PETS.....and all of our stuff. ( Planning to UHAUL)
I've moved several times. Here are a few frugal tips. Liquor stores have the best sturdy boxes. Picnic lunches and snacks packed for the moving days, drive, and first day before you can stock your pantry/fridge will save you TONS of money, time, and healthy eating. Price compare Uhaul and Budget; Budget won for us by a landslide. Immediately start selling anything you won't want at your new house (fb marketplace is my favorite) so that you can earn cash and don't need as big of a moving truck. Expect to sell even more in your new location as you see what actually fits in the new home. I'll come back if I can think of more. Good luck with what seems like a happy move! 🙂
FG - didn't you have a "help the reader" post about frugal moving?
There was an article recently in the Military Times (which comes as Army Times, Navy Times, Marine Corps Times, and Air Force Times) about how to have a great move. I can't get to the MT right now, but if you search it for articles about moving, your effort will be well rewarded.
Yep, yep! Here it is. https://www.thefrugalgirl.com/ask-the-readers-frugal-moving-advice/
Found the Military Times article. PCS = a move, in military jargon. You don't have to take everything he writes as gospel - his #5 wouldn't work for me at all, for example - but overall, these are superb tips.
https://www.militarytimes.com/opinion/commentary/2019/04/03/how-to-execute-a-military-move-top-10-rules-to-get-a-pcs-done/
Pack a big tub of stuff that you'll need when you get to your house: toilet paper, paper towels/rags, toiletries, sheets & towels, etc. The stuff you can't live without for the first few days. No matter how clearly you think you've labeled your boxes, you will never find anything you urgently need, when you need it!
Also, bubble wrap for packing is super expensive. But the cashiers at our Michael's craft store happily gave me loads of foam sheets for free! They had them for wrapping breakables (obviously recycled from when they unpacked their merchandise) and were very nice about giving them to me when I asked.
Way to use up that last bit of pumpkin! I think I would have just added it to tomato type sauce or soup (if that's what we were eating), or thrown it casually into pancake batter and called it good.
I just posted five frugal things on the blog today too which included quite an expensive purchase: a travel trailer. However, because it was used, in need of repairs we could do ourselves and we had the cash, I think it was a pretty frugal purchase.
Plenty of eating at home going on here too.
Pumpkin ice cream
Pumpkin smoothies
Pumpkin dog biscuits
Pumpkin pudding or custard
Pumpkin pancakes
Pumpkin cookies
Hide it in mac and cheese (you will not be able to detect it)
Hide it in chili (you will not be able to detect it)
Pumpkin rice pudding
Pumpkin risotto
Pumpkin cookies
Pumpkin bisque
Pumpkin in small amounts can be added to Kristin’s yeast rolls recipe
Ooops, put in pumpkin cookies twice, so you can guess where a lot of pumpkin goes in our house.
Ahh yes but cookies are worth 2 of everything ) I love pumpkin in risotto & I've also added mashed pumpkin to mac & cheese & I loved it
I like pumpkin pancakes but the recipe calls for 1/3 cup (90 g) of pumpkin for an entire batch, and also uses 1/3 cup (also 90 g) of canned coconut milk (you can use regular milk, but I prefer dairy free). I have large silicone ice cube trays that hold about 1/3 cup by volume, so I put the tray on the kitchen scale and put 90 g of pumpkin or coconut in each compartment and freeze them. It's really nice because I have both pre-measured for the next few batches. There's always about 2 tbsp. of pumpkin left over and I stir it into things, too, or give it to the dog.
1) I have a freezer challenge going on, where I set a goal of using up 15 freezer items in May. I'm already up to 7. This helps us reduce waste, lower our food bill, & saves us on nights we have no food prepared. At some point, I'll have the freezer inventory low enough so I can put everything in coolers & clean it all out. One can dream 😉
2) All meals eaten at home over the past week, despite a bunch of crazy late meetings for me, and track meets for the kids.
3) Drove our electric car for work commutes & charged for free at work
4) Ran to work one day (9 miles) to pick up my car, after I'd left it there after a work event. Other option was an Uber, as my husband was out of town.
5) Resisted opening a bottle of wine on the weekend. I try to save it for a special occasion.
1. We sold our home recently and the home inspector found some minor mold in our basement. Shopping around for a mold abatement company saved us $300
2. Bought my son 9 long sleeved shirts and 6 pairs of pants from a garage sale for $12. He now has most of his Winter clothes for this year.
3. Bought my son a pair of cleates at a garage sale for $1. He starts soccer in 2 weeks.
4. Ate all of our meals at home this week so far
5. Still exclusively breastfeeding my 6 month old daughter!!
I'm pretty excited about this week:
1 - I sold three pair of kids shoes!
2- I learned how to use paypal for shipping and saved about $1 per package.
3-I save $10 on diapers by buying a two pack
4- We did happy hour date night and split appetizers - that were $2 off
5- We rode our bikes to date night.
6 - shipped shoes back to the manufacture to repair lose stitches.
1. Frugal fail - been getting take away a lot & the temperature has plummeted here so am soooo hungry, being good eating in tonight
2. Find it really hard sometimes to find shoes that fit & are comfortable & really needed some for winter - bought 3 pairs this week at good prices & carefully planned to pick styles/colours to make the most of them
3. Moved churches to one much closer to me - this will be great for fellowship & save quite a lot on petrol
4. Took a nut bar & thermos with tea shopping for shoes & bought a wholemeal roll & a slice of ham from a supermarket deli for lunch
5. Been looking on & off for a couple of years for a good shaped food thermos for salad, soup, or noodles etc & found a great one 50% off while browsing in a homewares shop - who knew?
Deidre, congrats on your frugal find. It's all the sweeter for the effort, isn't it?
Thanku - yes it is!
It feels as though frugality has not been a priority for me lately. My household has been off balance because of the busy season at my work, but I am happy to note that is now over. It will be good for me to find a few frugal items to report - a small step in renewing my work/life balance:
1. All breakfast and dinner meals have been cooked and eaten at home this past week.
2. My son started two new sports: flag rugby and running club. Other than the registration fees, no extra purchases required. He has lots of appropriate sport clothing and footwear from recent birthday gifts or prior sports.
3. Last weekend we entertained two separate sets of guests with very little notice. Meaning I did NOT make extra grocery store runs. I always do so when I know in advance I will have company.
4. I worked a bunch of paid overtime hours the past two weeks and today is pay day!
I don't have 5 frugal things exactly, but I am trying to slash all my bills, and that's pretty frugal.
The current one is our Internet/TV/phone bundle. I have to have Internet, but I could do with an antenna and streaming, and either just use our cell phones or go with a VOIP service.
But, unless we change providers or cancel & reopen service under a different family member's name, Comcast kind of has it rigged so we won't save nearly what I thought we would by eliminating cable TV. My only other option is FIOS, but we have 2 huge, older dogs with failing backs/hips who may not be able to tolerate a multi-hour install. A huge vet bill or dogs I have to help get up to go pee would not make that switch cost effective at all.
I'm curious about what other people are doing.
1. By stacking coupons and using my rewards card I was able to buy two deodorants for a total of 28 cents. Score!
2. Used a 50% off one item at a craft store to buy a nice gift for my son’s friend.
3. I’m hosting Mother’s Day at our house. I was able to put together a menu of chicken, steak, shrimp, and brats on the grill with corn on the cob and Asian salad for 4 for $20. I scored marked down meat at our small local market.
4. Deep cleaned the basement and sold a few things on FB Market Place. Made $30. And passed a bunch of stuff on to friends.
5. We live in a hundred year flood zone so we have to have flood insurance. It is very expensive and we own two properties. Just found out about a new insurance company that should be able to save us a significant amount of money so I’ll be doing some research.